Mini Career Fair Provides Opportunities for Program Participants

The Workforce Development Center continues promoting support services to the youth and adults around Dutchess County. Our goal is to help our participants in professional training and in the development of skills that enable them to have a more promising career and open up new opportunities in their lives.

The pandemic has severely affected the access of adolescents, young people, and adults to education and income. It is urgent to offer opportunities so that each of these groups can have access to quality education, be digitally included, and have decent opportunities in the world of work, appropriate to their age group.

The Workforce Development Center hosted a Career Fair on December 9th, 2021 for participants. It featured the participation of entrepreneurs with inspiring stories, job opportunities, as well as discussions on the insertion of the most vulnerable young people and adults into the world of work. Community Home Health Care, Dutchess County Government, Rhinebeck Bank, and New Horizons Resources, Inc. were present.

The career fair aimed to encourage participants to have contact with professionals from different fields, including some that are less conventional, but which are trends for the future, in addition to providing guidance on the world of work, professional development, and careers. We plan to host more career fairs periodically in 2022. If you are a business interested in attending one of our intimate job fairs geared towards our program participants, please reach out to: Katrina Gobins, Vice President of Workforce Development at 845-454-1700 x1024. 

Though the Workforce Development Center’s programming holds a strong focus on employment, we also strive to bridge the gap in education. With the majority of our participants being first-generation college students, many face high levels of stress and difficulty navigating college with little to no guidance. Our Case Managers at the Workforce play a vital role in supporting these prospective students, assuring that their educational goals come to fruition. In November, Youth One Stop and the Career Action Center attended Dutchess Community College’s Open House Tour with their participants. Alexcia Mitchell-Hinton, a Youth One Stop participant, stated that engaging in the Open House tour “...was a great experience. It made me realize that I’m not going to college to play games. I’m there to get my education and work hard for something that I genuinely care about. I hope that one day I can overcome my fears of being in front of big crowds and become a lawyer. It’s been my dream since I was a child and I know with the effort, my hard work will pay off.” This coming Spring, Alexcia will take the first step towards achieving her dreams of becoming a lawyer as she joins Dutchess Community College’s Paralegal Program as a full-time student. Along with Alexcia, is another Youth One Stop participant, Rosalie Czarnecki, who is also a first-year and first-generation college student. As she approaches the successful end to her college freshman year, she reflects on her experience, “Being in this program helped me reach my goal. I used to tell myself, ‘I’m going to college,’ but I never had the help I needed. Even now that I’m in college, Youth One Stop still helps me a lot with tutoring. I’m majoring in Human Services so that one day I can work with Child Protective Services. So far, this college year has been good, though a little challenging, but I know in the end, it will all be worth it.” 

Our Workforce family continues with strong values in giving back to not only our participants but our local businesses and communities throughout all of Dutchess County. We would not be able to continue providing our services without the support of our communities. With your continuous support, we are able to invest in many essential services into tomorrow’s workforce. For any information regarding our Workforce Development Center programs, please contact Katrina Gobins, Vice President of the Workforce Development Center at 845-454-1700 x1024 or katrina@dcrcoc.org.